PR3Ciradelha Trail

The mountain from which the whole of Vinhais can be seen

This route climbs the mountain that watches over the town. It is not a stroll around the outskirts of Vinhais — it is the ascent to the place from which Vinhais truly makes sense: from the top, the entire town fits in a single glance, with its vegetable plots, chestnut groves, and mountain ranges closing the horizon to the south. It is also a return to origins, because it was on this summit, and not down below, that everything began.

It is one of the oldest routes in the municipality and has a rare advantage: it starts and finishes in the town centre. One sets off on foot from the café door and returns in time for lunch.

Starting point in the centre of Vinhais

The route is circular and begins and ends in the town centre, beside the cafés and restaurants. On either side of the hill there is a connection between the town and the summit: one follows a road — around three kilometres of tarmac with a serious gradient; the other takes a very pleasant dirt track that arrives close to the castle. Both repay the effort: at each bend the landscape opens a little more, and the town is left further below, growing smaller with every step.

O Castro da Ciradelha

At the top of the hill lie the remains of O Castro da Ciradelha, a fortified settlement from which the ancestors of Vinhais kept watch over the valley. The remnants of the stone defensive structures that enclosed it are still discernible, and within them stood the round houses typical of Iron Age hill-fort architecture. Those who chose this place knew what they were doing: from here, everything is visible and the approach is difficult.

The viewpoint

Beside the castro, the miradouro do Alto da Ciradelha makes the choice self-evident. The town spreads out below, street by street, and beyond it the mountain ranges succeed one another, range after range, beyond counting. A reading table helps put names to what can be seen.

O Baloiço da Chouriça

From the viewpoint, a narrow path leads to the most photographed spot on the route: a swing in the shape of a chouriça, suspended over the valley, bearing the inscription